Ales Michalevic

Ales Michalevic, a candidate in Belarus's 2010 presidential elections, was arrested and then released on Monday by border guards at Warsaw's Chopin Airport.

Mr Michalevic had been detained after the Belarusian government requested Interpol issue a warrant for his arrest.

The Polish Ministry of Foreign Affairs intervened on Mr Michalevic's behalf and he left Warsaw on a flight to London on Monday.

Poland's Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski said airport authorities should consult the Foreign Ministry before detaining people wanted for crimes. “At any time we are available when it comes to consultation, regarding who should appear on such lists, and who should not,” Mr Sikorski told journalists at a press conference.

Deputy Foreign Minister Jerzy Pomianowski added that the incident was an error by border guards.

“If we are dealing with a person from Belarus, whose claims are sound, as in the case of Mr Michalevic ... the average officer should be able to assess whether we are dealing with a terrorist or an organizer of a social protest,” he said.

Mr Michalevic was granted asylum in the Czech Republic after fleeing Belarus, and travels on a Czech passport. “How many more details do they need to realize that we are dealing with someone who does not fit the terrorist profile?” said Mr Pomianowski.

Mr Michalevic was among the over 600 people who were arrested in Minsk on December 20, 2010, during a government crackdown on opposition supporters. He was imprisoned and allegedly tortured, before being released in February 2011.